Reverse-gear mechanism.



J. RIPBERGER. REVERSE GEAR MECHANISM. APPLICATION IILED JAN. 31, 1912.

Patented Nov. 12,1912.

PKG.)

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D- c.

UNITED STATES OFFICE. t

JACOB RIPBERGER, or BELLEVUE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR T0 CONRAD A. WISSEL, 0F

DAY'IGN, KENTUCKY.

REVERSE-GEAR MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAooB RIPBERGER, acitizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Bellevue, inthe county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Reverse-Gear Mechanism for Motors andEngines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in:

reversing mechanism, and ithas for one of its objects a gear mechanismto reverselydrive a wash-tub, elevator or the like without reversing themotor or driving-engine.

Another object is a reversing gear mechanism wherein the operation ofreversing the direction of the driven device is accomplished withoutreversing the driving-means and without any possible injurious shock ordanger of damaging the gears.

A still further object is a reversing gear mechanism wherein theoperation of reversing the motion of the driven-member maybe eitherautomatically or manually performed.

These and other objects are attained in the apparatus described in thefollowing specification and illustrated in the accom-- panying drawings,in which Figure 1 is a plan View of the apparatus embodying my inventionherein, showing it in connection with driving-means and a driven-member;Fig. 2, a side elevation of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig.

3, a perspeotive view of a detail of the reversing mechanism; Fig. 4:, aperspective view of a detail of the reversing mechanism; Fig. 5, asectional view on line 5-5, of Fig. 2; Fig. 6, a sectional view of aclutch-member on line 66, of Fig.2; Fig. 7 a sectional view on line 7-7,of Fig. 3; Fig. 8, an elevation of a modified form of cam-plate, andFigs. 9 and 10, sections on lines 9+9 and 10-10, respectively, of Fig.8.

The improved reversing mechanism comprises two pinions each looselymounted upon separate shafts, cone-clutch members splined on said shaftsand adapted to en gage correspondingly formed recesses within thepinions, rotatively-mounted reciproeating clutch-operating canrplatesmounted on said shafts, bearings for said shafts and intermeshing gearssecured to said shafts,

said intermeshing gears connected with a Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed January 31, 1912.

Patented Nov.'12,1912.

Serial No. 674,480.

1 A double bearing 11, in which is rota- .tively mounted an upper shaft12 and a lower shaft 13, is the means employed for.

supporting the reversing mechanism. Upon shaft 12 is mounted a loosepinion 1 1 which is formed with a'hub'15. This hub is conically-recessedto permit a cone-clutch member 16' to engage such recess. Clutch-merit.

ber 16 is splined to shaft 12 so that it may 'be reciprocated lengthwisealong the shaft and at the'same time berotatively driven by it. Acompression-spring 17 (Fig. 6) is provided, within the clutch formed bymembers 15 and 16, to normally hold the cone 16 out of engagement withthe recessed hub. A thrust upon the pinion is occasioned bytheengagement of the clutch-member 16 with member 15 and is taken up bya washer 18 that is held against the end of the shaft by a cap-screw 19.Washer 18 is held against relative rotation with shaft 12 by forming. ashort sleeve 20- integrally with the washer and notching the sleeve sothat it will slip over a pin 21 secured within the shaft. beingunscrewed from the shaft by the rota tion of the washer, the washerrotation being This prevents the cap-screw from caused by the rotationof the pinion in alternate directions. loose p1n1'on 22, which isprovided with a cone-clutch 23,the construction of the pin.- ion and itsclutch being identical with that of pinion 14 and its clutch-members 15and 16.

Upon lower shaft 13 is a Between the end of the double bearing 11 andexposed ends of the clutch-members 16 and 23 and also mounted looselyupon shafts'l2 and 13 are cone-operating plates 22 and 23 that havecam-like projections 24: and 24: formed thereon. Secured to the end ofthe upper bearing is a plate 25 that has inclined lugs 26 and 27 formedupon its surface, (as shown in Fig. 4:) the respective lugs beingoppositely inclined to each other. The

projections 24: and 24 of plates 22 and 23, respectively, are adapted tobear-against plate 25, projections 24 hearing against lugs 26 at thetime that projections 24 are free from lugs 27, or vice versa. Thealternate operation above described is accomplished I by connectingplates 22 and 23 by means of a link 28 that causes both plates to rockin unison upon shafts l2 and 13. Link 28 isformed with an extension 29upon which is rotatively mounted a trip-lever 30. This trip-lever isfrictionally-restrained by means of a spring 46 (Fig. 7) and is formedwith two or more forks or bifurcated sets of fingers 31 and 32. Fingersor forks 31 extend rearwardly toward the cone-operating plates and areadapted to engage a lug 33 formed on extension 29, to limit the movementof the trip 30. Fingers or forks 32 extend outwardly in line with a pin34 secured to the hub or other portion of a main driven-gear 35 and areadapted to be contacted by said pin 34.

In operation, the power is transmitted from any suit-able source, suchas a rotary engine or the like, through gear 37 and into gears 38 and 39secured to shafts 12 and 13, thus causing the shafts to rotate inopposite directions. The power is thence transmitted to cones 16 and 23'that are springpressed against plates 22 and 23. For example, in oneposition the pressure of cone 16 against plate 22 causes projections 24to contact with lugs 26 and the pressure of cone 23 against plate 23causes projections 24 to contactwith the plane surface of bearing-plate25, so that projections 24 are just in position to ride upon lugs 27. Inthe above-described position, cone 16 is in engagement with itscorresponding clutchmember 15 and pinion 14 is locked to shaft 12, thusbecoming the driving-pinion. While pinion14 is driving the gear 35,pinion 22 is running loosely in the same direction as said pinion 14upon shaft 13 that is rotating in the opposite direction. As the largedriven-gear 35 travels through one revolution, the pin 34 contacts thelower one of the fingers 32 and brings the lower one of the fingers 31into engagement with lug 33 on extension 29. The pin now passeson and inits second revolution with trip 30 it contacts the upper one of thefingers 32 and moves both plates 22 and 23 so that the 'movement ofplate 22 causes projections 24 to leave lugs 26, thus releasing cone 16from pinion 14 and the movement of plate 23 causes projections 24 toride upon lugs 27 thus pressing cone 23 into engagement with pinion 22and making it the driving-pinion, giving opposite rotation to gear 35while pinion 14 runs free. The direction of rotation of the largedriven-gear 35 is again reversed by the contacting of pin 34, first withthe upper one of the fingers 32 and then with the lower one, in thismanner again makingpinion 14 the driving-pinion.

In order to stop the driven-gear 35 without stoppingthe engine 36, ahandle 40 is provided on plate 22 so that the clutches may be moved tothe neutral position manually. This handle is provided with aspring-pressed latch 41, which is notched at 42 so that the notch willengage the pointed end 47 of an ear 43 extending from plate 25. In orderto prevent the reversing mechanism from becoming locked in the neutralposition at each alternate engagement of pin 34 with one of the fingers32, the latclr handle 44 is turned downwardly so that the broad edge ofthe latch may ride over the entire surface 45 of ear 43 withoutstopping. The movement of latch 41 from one side to the other ofear-point 47, along the surface 45, causes the plates 22 and 23 to beyieldingly-held in the alternate positions in which they are placed.

In Fig. 8 is shown a modification of plates 22 and 23, the two members48 and 49 of the modification being wedge-shaped as shown in thesections, Figs. 9 and 10. In using this modification, the ends of thebearings would be made plain, since no inclined lugs would be needed.The handle 50 can be used to move the clutches to the neutral positions.

In order to provide a quick reverse and a slow forward movement to thedriven machinery, a different ratio to gears 38 and 39 can be used.

I claim 1. A reversing gear mechanism comprising oppositely-rotatingdriving-members, loosely-mounted pinions on said drivingmembers, adriven-member, a pair of clutches for said loosely-mounted pinions andmeans actuated by said driven member for alternately engaging anddisengaging one clutch to respectlvely drive or set free one pinion andfor alternately disengaging and engaging the other clutch torespectively set free or drive the other pinion.

2. A reversing gear mechanism comprising a driving-member, a drivenmember andmeans interposed between said driving and said driven membersto reverse said drivenmember, said reversing means com arising pinionswhich continually mesh with the driven-member, oppositely-rotatingshafts upon. which the pinions are loosely mounted, clutches upon theshafts to engage said pinions and means actuated by said drivenmemberfor engaging one clutch and disengaging the other, simultaneously, orvice versa.

3. The combination of a driving-member, a driven-member and meansinterposed between the said driving-member and the said driven-member toreverse the motion of the driven-member, said means being actuated bythe driven-member and comprising two oppositely-rotating shafts, apinion looselymounted upon each shaft, said pinions continually meshingwith the driven-member and a clutch mounted adjacent to each pinion, aclutch-operating plate located adjacent to each clutch and meansoperated from the driven-member to operate said clutchoperating plates.

4. A reversing gear mechanism compris-.

ing a driving-member, a'driven-member, a master-gear on sa1ddr1venmember, plnlons intermeshing With said master-gear, clutch-- meansfor reverse1y-driving said drivenmember Without reverslng saiddr1v1ngmember andatrip 'for operating said means from saiddriven-member, said trip com prising a double-forked memberyieldinglymounted on said reverse-driving means and adapted'to' berotated and set by said drivenmember.

JACOB RIPBERGER.

Witnesses:

CONRAD A. Wrssnn, JOHN ELIAS JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

